Vo |- IIL ] MlLLIGAN, Description of a New Acanthiza from W.A. I I I 



Description of a New Acanthiza from Western 

 Australia. 



By Alex. Wm. Milligan 

 {Honorary Ornithologist, Perth Museum, Western Australia). 



A NEW Acanthiza was secured by Mr. Fred. Lawson at Wurarga, 

 Yalgoo Goldfields, Murchison, on the ist September last. Wur- 

 arga is about ioo miles inland from the Western coast, well 

 beyond the confines of the characteristic rain-belt, and in about 

 the same latitude as the boundary line between Queensland 

 and New South Wales. 



The new species is closely allied to Acanthiza chrysorrhoa 

 (Gould), and bears, in my opinion, affinity in the same degree to 

 that species as A. tenuirostris (Zietz) does to A. reguloides (Vig. 

 and Hors.) It is, in fact, a pallid and miniature form of A. chry- 

 sorrhoa. I do not declare it to be the Western form of the latter 

 species, as our coastal form in temperate districts much resembles 

 the Eastern one, but rather regard it as the northern and interior 

 one. The points of distinction between the two species are many, 

 but the principal ones are these : — The new bird is much smaller ; 

 its under surface is almost uniform white ; and its whole upper 

 surface generally is lighter in colour. In particular, the forehead 

 band is better defined, and conspicuously white ; the crown of 

 the head is not so dark ; the white spots of the head are fewer ; 

 the sides of the head and cheeks are white ; an obscure nuchal 

 band of light greyish-brown and a mantle of dingy olive-grey 

 take the place of the rich olive-yellowish of the upper surface of 

 the coastal and Eastern species ; the rump is not yellow, but the 

 same colour as the mantle, and the upper tail coverts are lighter 

 yellow ; the basal halves of the tail feathers are white and not 

 yellow, and the terminal halves of some only of them are tipped 

 with white, and that very narrowly ; and the irides are dull 

 brown, and not greyish-white or light yellow. Three adult birds 

 have been secured, two males and one female, the latter and one 

 of the males being a breeding pair. Mr. Lawson says the birds 

 are far from common. 



The specific description is as follows : — 



Male. — The frontal band, lores, throat, cheeks, chest, abdomen, 

 sides of body, under wing coverts, and under tail coverts white, 

 except a very faint cream-coloured tinge on chest and sides of 

 body ; a dusky spot in front of eye ; ear coverts pale grey, with 

 whitish margins ; feathers of crown blackish-brown, a few of the 

 feathers having white-spotted tips, the remainder with pale grey 

 margins ; feathers of the hinder crown brown, with pale grey 

 margins ; an indistinct nuchal band of greyish-brown extends 

 from ear covert to ear covert ; mantle and rump dingy greyish- 

 olive ; wings dark brown, the. secondaries with paler brown 

 margins ; upper tail coverts light chrome-yellow, with white 

 bases to tail feathers ; latter blackish-brown, with only two or 

 three of the undermost feathers tipped white, and those very 



